My trip to Australia is rapidly coming to an end. I fly out tomorrow and I can say that it has been a fantastic experience and that I made the right decision for me. I wanted to keep this trip pretty affordable and planned a lot prior to my trip.
Once I arrived, though, I did discover a number of ways to keep the cost as low as I possibly could. Australia is not a cheap place to visit, but-if you’re willing to think outside the box you can employ some of the strategies that I did when you plan your trip.
18 Ways to Have A Frugal Fun Time in Sydney, Australia
- Save on Transit Costs-I discovered at the end of my trip that you can travel around Sydney all day for $2.10. Basically, the price is capped for the day. This included the ferry to Manly which is worth going to on Sunday. You will be there with a ton of people but who cares?! Typically the ferry to Manly costs around $14 and it is around a 20 minute ride across the Bay. This is totally worth doing especially if you’re traveling with several people.
- $1 Flat Whites-7 Eleven has this fantastic coffee machines that make really good coffees. You can choose from a regular cup of coffee, cappuccinos, or a Flat White. Flat whites are specific to Australia and are best described as the fantastic place between a dry latte and a slightly wet cappuccino. The key is in the crema and the density of foam. It’s fantastic. I drank so many that the people at 7 Eleven recognized me!
- Free 555 Bus-Take the 555 bus for free along George Street. It runs fairly frequently and it’s worth finding a hostel or hotel within walking distance of George Street so that you can use the 555 to cut down on daily transit costs
- Sydney Festival-If you’re here during the Australian summer (which I assume most people would prefer) go to the Sydney Festival. It’s an amazing combination of both free performances/exhibits/ and low cost performances in the City Business District (downtown) I saw a very popular Brazilian singer for free and it was fantastic.
- Chinese New Year Activities-There is a HUGE Chinese population in Australia. So, when Chinese New Year happens there are a ton of events to check out. Currently there are terra-cotta warriors that are at the Sydney Harbor that glow in the dark. Very cool. These events happen in February.
- Chinese Friendship Garden-For $6 AUS you can go to the Friendship Garden. It’s lovely and a great place to go for an hour of serenity within the city.
- Vinnie’s Thrift Store-You know that I love thrift shopping! Regular clothes shopping in Australia is absolutely shockingly expensive-really. But, this opens up great opportunities for the savvy thrift shopper to find some awesome duds. I picked up some amazing items and spent around $80. The average dress price (regular store) was at least $120 and up. So, to pick up around 8 items for $80 was fantastic! I also wore them several times while I was here.
- Bondi to Coogee (or Coogee to Bondi) Coastal Walk-You must do this walk. It’s stunning. Make sure that you wear sturdy tennis shoes, bring plenty of water, a hat, and snacks. There are lovely natural coves (and salt-water pools) that you can swim in along the way or at the end of your walk.
- Campos Coffee-If you love coffee this is the place for you to go for a truly elevated coffee experience for around $5 a drink. Absolutely worth it. I saw coffee drinks I’d never heard of before and had a great time drinking the one that I chose.
- Royal Botanical Gardens-Walk through the Gardens!
- Free WiFi-Go to the New South Wales downtown library located close to the Botanical Gardens. Don’t sit in the front area where everyone is typing away on their MACs. Go to the actual library room that has books. I know that sounds strange. When you’re at the library and ask for help they will direct you to the gorgeous vaulted room that looks like it’s from the 1800’s
- Go To KMART-Yes, you read that correctly, I am in love with Australian KMART. I ended up buying 2 duvet sets for a grand total of $28 dollars. I have a really hard time finding these and the quality was really good.
- MeetUp Groups-I joined a hiking Meetup group before I arrived and it was a great thing that I did. I met wonderful people, went hiking in the mountains, and paid very little money to participate in those events
- The Grounds of Alexandria-I will warn you now-this place is crazy busy. But, if you like: beautiful grounds, excellent food, great coffee, and miniature horses/chickens/and a giant pig named Kevin Bacon, then this is a great place for you to visit. Try to go slightly after lunch time or slightly before brunch to miss the rush.
- Sydney Central YHA (Youth Hostel)-I stayed here for a bit and it was fantastic! It has family rooms, a restaurant, a small pool on the top floor and a sauna. There are also kitchen facilities, laundry facilities, a movie theater and t.v. rooms. I had an excellent experience staying here and loved seeing the different types of people who embrace the hostel life.
- Fireworks In Darling Harbour (February)-Apparently, there are fireworks throughout the month of February in Darling Harbour. I love watching fireworks so this is an easy an fun thing to do.
- Drinks at Palmer & CO-Ok, this is actually not a cheap option. But, since you economized on so many other things during your trip I think a fabulous drink at Palmer & CO is worth it. It’s a speakeasy near Circular Quay. Dress cute and enjoy.
- Go To The Beach-This is the best option on this list. There are beaches everywhere. Sydneysiders exist in a state of perpetual readiness for a potential trip to the beach. You will regularly see people carrying their swimming gear or with their swimsuits showing. I really did not understand how integral the beach is to the life of most Sydney residents until I saw how much water there is around the City.
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I am an obsessive foodie, but not self-righteous with it, love travel, meeting new people, helping you look good, and am freaked out by people who don't enjoying reading...something! Grab a Perrier, read my blog, feel free to drop me a line! Hope to hear from you soon.
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So glad you enjoyed your trip to Australia. It is ridiculously expensive here, which is why Aussies travel to the US with empty suitcases!
Those $1 coffees at 7Eleven might not win any prizes but they are excellent value and sometimes, caffeine is caffeine is caffeine. 🙂
Have a safe trip home.
Cheers,
I actually really liked the Flat whites specifically and they were pretty good LOL! I did of course go to more “posh” places, but it really balanced out things. It was a wonderful trip and am looking forward to the next one. Am going to a wedding in Sydney so…the savings starts NOW!
I have been to Sydney and it is still one my favorite places to travel. What I love the most is the beef pies that I ate every single day. Must be nice to just get away and enjoy life.
I just ate a pork pie today. I’ve basically eaten a ton of lamb, and variations of different Asian foods. It has been nice to be in Sydney but I was working every other day too! After 10 years of a hell commute it has been great.
Definitely in the top 10 of places I want to visit. Thanks for the tips! I think I’d splurge and climb the bridge. Seems like a once in a lifetime experience.
I am afraid of heights so that was totally off my list LOL!! But, I think it would be a fantastic experience.
Sounds like you had a great trip! It takes being in a place for a while to learn the cheaper ways of doing things, which doesn’t help if you don’t figure them all out until the end of your trip. It’s nice of you to share!
I was a little sad to find out about the $2.40 all day Sunday transportation option. Transportation really adds up here, so it would have been nice to economize on a couple of trips. But overall I think I found out a lot of frugal options.
Fun post. I wish I had known more of these things when I lived in Sydney…wow, 9 years ago! I was on a working holiday saving to travel, so I was pretty broke during my time in Sydney. I did do the Coogee to Bondi walk, which is absolutely fantastic – one of my favorite things I did when living there. Have a good time at the wedding.
Time flies by! Happily, the wedding is in about 9 months (I think) so I will plan it differently than this trip. I want to cut my expenses even lower next time.
This sounds like a great list! I’m really glad you were able to find so many awesome and inexpensive things to do. I’d really like to visit Australia one day, so I’ll save this for reference when the time comes.
It is not a cheap country. So, every single frugal hack that you can find-capitalize on them.
Don’t forget that here in Australia wages are very good. Prices are def higher to account for this. Plus us Developed world folk have come to expect a lot for our money. There was a time that people saved for months for a new outfit and spent several weeks wages on it. But – times have changed, and I must admit when I first came here I was shocked at the prices too!!! 😉
The wages in Australia ARE really good! But, from a tourist’s perspective things get a little pricey especially after adding the cost of the flight and time. I visited for 2 months instead of working-well worth it. I didn’t know about the cost of clothing being so expensive (back in the day!). Thank you so much for stopping by blog. I also checked out your website-love those bags.